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Tuesday, September 22, 2020

It Was Always There

I think we can all say that it has been quite the summer. Mine began with my friend dying, and me having to completely clean out her house. But, with a lot of hard work, and very long days, I had the house on the market and sold in 5 weeks. I have been told that I should be hired to take care of estates. My answer is, "No Way!!!" Way too much work, and way too much stress to do that on an ongoing basis. My primary goal was to get the house sold as quickly as possible as it worried me having it sit empty. I ended up missing out on being able to work in my garden. But, I am not super woman, and I had to choose a priority. The garden will be here next summer :)

When I initially walked into the house, I felt a little overwhelmed, where do I begin? I decided that the easiest place to start was with her clothes. Get the closets cleaned out, and get the clothes and shoes packed for charity. That in and of itself was quite the endeavor. I thought I had a lot of clothes. One thing I learned is that she really didn't throw anything out. So, there were bags upon bags of clothes and shoes. 

A few years ago, I made this denim cape for a Sew News sew along. It's the Cape Super Express from Islander Sewing. I had a lot of fun with this piece. I lined the hood with a burnt orange velvet. The body is lined with a piece of home dec fabric. And, to finish it off, I used purse snaps for the closure. Sadly, those clamp style purse snaps are no longer available.     

I made 2 of these capes, 1 for the Sew News magazine, and another for the sew along. The cape that I made for the magazine has a lovely silk lining, and is made with 2 coordinating pieces of faux fur. You can see pictures of that cape HERE

My friend saw the capes in the Haute Couture Club of Chicago's fashion show that year and raved over them. So, I decided to give her the denim cape. She was thrilled!!!

After going through all of my friend's clothes, the cape was no where to be found. I thought that maybe she had given it away. But then, that was so unlike her. 

Once the house sold, I began working on clearing out the furniture that I had used to stage the house, and clean for the new owner. The furniture in the 1st floor bedroom had been moved out, and I went in to vacuum and mop the floors. While vacuuming, I closed the door to clean behind it, and low and behold, there, hanging behind the door was the cape. I couldn't believe it, it was there all along.


It was obvious that she had placed it there so that she could quickly throw it on.

The process of closing out one's life is one that I have said that everyone should experience once in their lifetime. It has made me look at objects and possessions in a very different manner. At one point, I was so tired that I told my husband that I wanted to sell everything we have, buy a tee pee, and just sit on the floor of that tee pee, no furniture, no stuff!!! Trust me, I am over that ;)

Along the way, I have also learned so many life lessons. With the cape, I learned that it can be so very easy to overlook things that are right in front of me. In this case, all I had to do was move the door. Just move something that was in the way. 

The cape is back in my possession. The temps are beginning to fall. Mornings are crisp and cool, perfect cape wearing weather. I think that each time I wear the cape, I will be reminded that in order to find what I want, sometimes all it takes is to move a door. Sometimes a physical door, and sometimes a door that I have created.     




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18 comments:

  1. Thank you for the post and the thoughts. Very timely and what I want through in emptying my parents house after my mom's death.

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    1. I'm so sorry to hear that you've lost your mom. I know this will be a very emotional journey for you. Please take care of yourself.

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  2. It is hard to let things go. I still have some of my mums things and my daughters. Mum has been gone for years and both my daughters left home a while ago. I am trying to let go....

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    1. I have lots of things that belonged to my grandmother, and even my great-grandmother that I am not ready to get rid of. And, I think that's fine. I think these pieces are little bits of them, and that's important too.

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  3. This is my very favorite of all of your lovely posts!!!

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  4. What a lovely story. I’m sure your friend is smiling that you are enjoying the cape again.

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    1. Yes, I think she is quite happy as I found a few pieces that she had that I could use, like a big down coat. She LOVED her dogs, and walking them was a highlight of her day. I know that when I pull on that coat this winter and walk Berkley, she will be walking right along beside me.

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  5. I’m sure every time you wear the cape it will feel like a hug from your friend. And you deserve every hug for you are a wonderful and beautiful friend.
    Thank you for sharing your stories.

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    1. Thank you Stefanie. The entire process was so interesting, and so emotional. There were so many times that I felt her presence. There was one day in particular, when I was scrubbing a wall. I could feel her telling me how sorry she was that I had to do it. In my heart I responded that it was really okay. Gifts of the heart :)

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  6. Great post! We have cleaned out my in-laws house. We had some help, but even then, it was a lot of work and I came out feeling the same as you. I now look at what I can get rid of to simplify my life. It’s hard to do that, but necessary. I’m convinced we don’t need 3/4 of the things we possess.

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    1. Isn't it amazing how we change once we've gone through something like this? But, I am happy that I could do it for her.

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  7. I don't "get" capes, as any garment that swings wide at the bottom allows air to flow up near the body. Delightful in summer but chilly in winter.

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    1. I enjoy a cape in the fall. But I agree as far as winter wear goes :)

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  8. I was "in charge" for taking care of things after Dad died (Mom died several years prior) and one day I got off the phone with lawyer at work, looked at cube mate and said "if you are ever asked to be executor of someone's estate - RUN AWAY!" Some things were not too bad, but the stuff & real estate stuff... Trying not to upset sister or niece made it stressful. And then there was the lawyer, who didn't seem to like to deal with women much. I guess that's one thing you didn't need to worry about - ticking off the relatives :-)

    I'm glad you found the cape - very pretty!

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  9. Such a wonderful story, Rhonda. Thanks so much for sharing with us. Lately, I've been mucking out my craft room, getting rid of many things. I'm craft-greedy, so quilting, jewelry, rug-making/hooking, sewing, etc.--packed into one little spare bedroom. I need to pass some of my things along to others who would be delighted to have them. My husband has always said we shouldn't get too attached to anything that could go up in flames, and how true that has been for so many people in CA and Oregon this year (in my home state of Montana, too). I'm praying for all those people who've lost everything. I'm trying to keep in mind daily that it could all be gone tomorrow (or I could be gone tomorrow!). So while I'll continue to delight in creativity and am so thankful for it, I'm trying to hold my material treasures loosely. And, as I'm always reminded, the true treasure lies in earthen vessels (human beings). I hope that soon we'll all be brought back to loving one another...Love is the only thing that really saves us. Sending bunches to all of you!!

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